Philadelphia Eagles All-Pro Lane Johnson Shared His Thoughts on New England Patriots OT Will Campbell

Philadelphia Eagles tackle Lane Johnson is a player many feel sets the standard for what an offensive tackle is in the NFL. Johnson spent much of the offseason with New England Patriots left tackle Will Campbell.

Before training camp, Campbell visited Johnson's gym over the summer. The Patriots' 2025 first-round pick also worked out alongside Tampa Bay Buccaneers All-Pro Tristan Wirfs and Buffalo Bills All-Pro Dion Dawkins.

The group all got together to do drills and lift in preparation for the 2026 season. Johnson and Campbell would link back up during joint practices between the Patriots and Eagles this week. Campbell spoke with Mass Live's Chris Mason about how he feels about the young left tackle.

“Will just kinda reminds me of myself, in a way. Just a country kid drafted first round,” Johnson said after practice this week. “I know the pressures that are on guys like that.”

The Eagles tackle then elaborated on how he viewed Campbell's first season in the league.

“I thought he had a really good rookie season. For me, I think talking to him and just—really, our lives are pretty similar in a lot of ways. Just what we’re doing,” Johnson said. “You can see him just getting better. I was watching him some today. He looks thicker and bigger. He’s healed up from his knee injury.”

The knee injury Johnson mentioned was Campbell's MCL injury mid-season last year. Campbell would return for the postseason but never seemed to be back to his full dominant self.

After the Patriots' Super Bowl loss to the Seattle Seahawks, the rookie tackle's performance fell under scrutiny, and many analysts wondered if Campbell's bold words on draft night were a little more superficial than planned.

Year two is expected to be crucial for Campbell. The Patriots' front office has already stated that they plan to keep Campbell where he is: left tackle. However, the team currently has a room of offensive linemen who are highly versatile and could be plugged in at any spot if needed as the season goes on.

Despite all of that, based on Johnson's words and many other reports, Campbell seems to be off to a great start at training camp as he looks towards a season of redemption in 2026.

The Patriots and the Eagles will square off Saturday night in a preseason matchup. 

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